A Moment in Time
by RedLion2
Summary: Joe awakes Francoise from a nightmare and has some latenight musings.


I do not own Cyborg 009.

This one-shot is dedicated to GoldAngel2. Thank you so much for all your help!

A Moment in Time

            _Francoise felt a cold hand grip her arm and turned, seeing the tortured and grinning visage of Scarl, head of the Black Ghost operatives.__ "009!" she screamed, trying to pull away. Scarl tightened his hold and began dragging her away, 003 fighting the whole way._

_            "Let her go!" 009 yelled, running toward them, his burnt sienna eyes glittering with righteous anger. Scarl lifted a gun and fired, missing the young Japanese cyborg._

_            "You heard the man! Let 003 go!" 002 called out, swooping over them, holding a gun as well and trying to get Scarl in his sights._

_            "Never! She belongs to me!" Scarl took aim and fired while shoving Francoise forward, causing her to stumble. Joe went forward to catch her, determined to keep her from harm. He did not notice Scarl firing._

_            The bullet struck him in the chest just as he caught 003, her momentum pushing him to the ground. "009! No!" Blood and other fluids quickly soaked his uniform, and he closed his pretty eyes in pain. "No, please! Stay with me!" Francoise begged. She could not lose him now._

_            "F-Francoise..." Joe opened his eyes as she tenderly brushed his wild mane of sorrel hair from his eyes. "I-I'm sorry, koishii. I-I can't...stay..."_

_            "Shh, cherie." Francoise heard Jet land behind her, heard him yelling at Scarl, but she was only concentrating on Joe. "I love you, Joe. Stay with me." _

_            "I-I love you too, tenshi..." Joe's voice faded and his chest became still, and the lovely ex-dancer let forth a cry of anguish, burying her head on Joe's chest. He couldn't be gone, he just couldn't be....._

            "Francoise!" Joe threw open the door to her room and bolted in, hurrying to gently shake her awake. "003, wake up!"

            She sat up abruptly, almost screaming before recognizing Joe, her azure eyes widening. "J-Joe?"

            "Shh, koibito. I'm here. It was a bad dream," the handsome cyborg said, his voice gentle. He pulled her to his hard chest, wrapping his strong arms around her.

            Francoise sighed, letting Joe's tight and warm embrace ease the coldness from her slender body. She was shivering, and Joe kissed her forehead, holding her closer. "Shh, it's alright. I'm here, tenshi."

            She jerked back from him, fear in her beautiful blue eyes. "003, what is it?" Joe asked, hoping that by calling her by her number she might calm down.

            "Y-You called me that in the dream, right before you died." Francoise's voice was strained with tension.

            "You had a dream about our last mission, huh?" Joe asked, his tone soft. He reached to touch her cheek with a reverent hand. Their mission 2 days before had been a rough one, with Joe getting shot at and grazed, and 007 being injured worse. Francoise nodded, seeing in her mind's eye the horrors of that night.

            "It was awful, Joe. Scarl had me and when you tried to save me, he shot you in the chest." The ex-dancer's voice broke and she buried her head in her hands.

            "Oh koishii, don't cry, please," the tall Japanese cyborg pleaded. "I'm here, koibito." He moved closer to her and wrapped a tight arm around her. Francoise lifted her head, locking her azure eyes on his bright burnt sienna ones, seeing how much love for her that he possessed.

            "Is everything alright?" Albert asked quietly from the doorway, his vibrant indigo eyes full of concern. "I heard you scream, 003." He adored the younger girl like a sister, and hated seeing her in distress.

            The pretty blonde nodded, blushing a little with Joe's arm around her. They had been together for about 3 months, but she was still shy around the rest of the team.

            "Okay. Goodnight." Albert took his leave, smiling to himself. They made a good pair.

            Francoise turned back to Joe, giving him a half-smile. "Are you okay?" he asked, frowning when she turned away from him. "Francoise?"

            "I'm alright, cherie. I'm tired," she explained. She still felt a chill in her heart, and her mind was troubled. Joe reached out and took her chin in his hand, turning her to face him. 

            "Don't lie, Francoise. Tell me what's wrong." There was a steely undertone to his normally gentle voice, and her bright blue eyes widened.

            "J-Joe, I am really tired...."

            "And you're frightened. Why?" he prodded, taking one of her hands and enfolding it in his strong, larger ones.

            She swallowed hard, feeling tears sting the back of her eyes. "I'm just worried about you, Joe. You're always right in the midst of the battles, protecting everyone, but no one protects you."

            Joe thought before answering her. _That dream really shook her up. I need to reassure her somehow._ "Koibito, I'm the commander. It's my job to protect my team, especially you. And I don't really need anyone to look after me, because I have my acceleration mode."

            She looked up at him, her heart lurching in almost pained ecstasy at seeing how much he loved her, and she wondered what she had ever done to deserve it. "I love you, Joe. So much." Her breath caught in her throat as he smiled and lowered his lips to hers, his mouth asking her to show him how she felt. Francoise put her arms around his neck and tilted her head, allowing the handsome young cyborg to deepen the kiss.

            They broke apart a few moments later, both breathing deep, their faces flushed with raw heat. Meeting her bright blue eyes, Joe smiled, loving how open they could be with each other. Her fears were justifiable, but he knew he could handle the dangers that were placed upon him. He was the team leader: end of story.

            "Joe, will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" the comely young woman-cyborg asked, returning his warm gaze.

            "Sure, tenshi." He waited until she was snuggled up in bed, then pulled her heavy comforter over her, leaning down to press a sweet kiss to her forehead. "I'll be right here," he murmured, settling into the antique rocking chair next to her bed.

            Francoise closed her eyes, letting the allure of sleep entice her, knowing she was safe with Joe there. Soon she was back under the spell of sleep, her breathing evening out. Joe smiled and rose, wanting to stay but knowing he shouldn't.

            Jet was waiting out in the hallway from him, a concerned look in his eyes. "She okay?" the ex-street tough asked, gesturing to the girl's door. 

            "Yeah. She had a pretty scary nightmare. What are you doing up?" Joe asked, some concern in his low tenor voice.

            Jet shrugged, trying not to let his melancholy show. "Ah, couldn't sleep. Just one of those nights, I guess."

            Joe frowned. "Are you hungry? I'm sure 006 left some food. We had plenty left over. Come on." He gave 002 a gentle shove toward the kitchen, and Jet went, grumbling a little for show.

            The refrigerator was near overflowing, and the 2 young cyborgs set about filling a pair of plates. Jet grabbed them each a pop and they settled at the table, content for the first few minutes to just eat.

            Joe noticed 002 was just pushing his food around, his expression downtrodden. "So, uh, 002, what's up?"

            Jet shrugged. He was beginning to doubt their mission, to destroy Black Ghost, for the first time. "Do you ever wish it was over? I mean, this whole Black Ghost thing? I'm just so tired of fighting....I think about giving in sometimes. Ah, forget about it, 009. I'm just rambling."

            "You're not rambling. I know exactly what you mean, Jet. I get tired too, especially after missions like our last one, but we can't give up." Joe was sympathetic, but adamant as well. It was his job as leader to keep his team's spirits and hopes up.

            "Yeah, I know." Jet finished his drink and stood up. "Hey, uh, thanks for listenen' to me, Joe. I didn't mean to get so down."

            "No problem, Jet. We're a team, a family. We have to stick together." Joe smiled and leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath. Family. It was the first time he'd ever really had one, and it was wonderful.

            He'd always wanted a big family, people he knew he could count on, and now he had that. Smiling, he put his plate in the sink and shut off the light. Deciding he needed to check on his girl, he paused and opened her door, squinting in the darkness.

            Francoise was curled up on her side, a soft and serene expression on her beautiful face. Joe felt a familiar twinge in his heart at the sight of her. She had become his best friend, his confidante, in the time they'd been together, and also his greatest love.

            Yes, they would beat Black Ghost. Together, as a solid family. The organization had stripped them of everything, but had made them strong because of one another. And as the young handsome commander watched his precious tenshi sleep, he was sure, if only for this one moment in time, that everything was right in his world. 

AN: Just in case you're wondering, this is my first 009 story. Also, some of you may think indigo is too dark of a purple for 004's eyes, but the color can range from deep violet to a dusty lilac, which is his eye color. RL2


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